Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse
by Jamesman101
Summary: Formally called "Mario & the Mansion of Illusion", this is the story of an evil sorceress who brings darkness into the Mushroom Kingdom. It's up to Mario and his new companions, including Bowser, to stop the sorceress and rescue Princess Peach! Let's-a Go
1. The Introduction

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse

The Introduction

There is a legend, about a mystical sorceress who's light had once protected the fragile people of the Mario World from the foul power of darkness. She was known by many, as the Maiden of Light. Her appearence was that of an elf, but her skin and hair were surrounded by a purifying light that left many in awe. She had devoted her life to protecting the little people of the Mario World from an opposite entity that wished to destroy the Light Maiden and turn everyone's hopes and dreams into sorrow and nightmares by destroying every bit of light in the Mario World, replacing it with her terrifying darkness. She was known as the Dark Maiden, otherwise known as Kumija.

Many battles have been fought between both Maidens, however the Light Maiden had always won the battles. After their last war, the Light Maiden had it with Kumija's constant attacks against the innocent. So she had exiled the Dark Maiden into an endless warphole, never to be seen again. Because of this, the Light Maiden knew that she was no longer needed to protect the ones she loved, and had disappeared from all of the Mario World, leaving a good chunk of her power behind so the inhabitants of the Mario World would forever know the wonders of light.

Before the Dark Maiden was banished however, Kumija was able to leave behind a couple of her dark children into the Mario World, so that evil would start anew and that one day, the forces of light would bow down to the powers that were, the Dark. Despite this, the forces of light had always prevailed and the Mario World forever remembered peace and harmony.

Our story starts many centuries later, where the forces of good had once again triumphed over the forces of evil. And within the forces of light, there was a champion who could overcome any evil that went his way, and despite his short stature, he was known by many as a titan of all titans.

That man went by the name of . . . . Mario!!

To be Continued . . . 


	2. Our Story Begins here!

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse

Our Story begins here!!

It has been about a good long year since Mario had last confronted his diobomical nemesis, King Bowser Koopa! The evil reptile had kidnapped the fair Princess Peach from right under Mario's Nose, and it was his sworn duty to rescue the fair peachie maiden. Of course, as all happy endings state, the brave hero had succeeded in rescuing his fair lady from the clutches of the scaly villain, and had sent that villain down an incredibly hot pool of boiling lava, never to be seen again. Ah yes, Mario was very glad that his own worst nightmare was finally put out of commission, and that he could finally spend some good quality time with his favorite girl in the whole world.

. . . . . . . of course, this story is FAR from a happy ending . . . . .

About a year passes since such events. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom were all peachie-keen. They were all celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the Evil Koopa King's great fall. Everyone was there, the Happy Mushrooms, the Friendly Goombas, the jolly Koopas, and even Mario, the man behind Bowser's Great Fall, and his peachie-sweet Princess Peach were there. Everyone in town were having such a great time!

However, a friendly postal Lakitu was flying by. Both he and his cute li'l cloud were as scared as a solider who was ordered to lick their king's smelly feet. Apparently he had screamed and yelled about something scary he saw at the spooky Forever Forest.

A strange mansion had appeared at the heart of the forest. The Lakitu had heard a very scary female laughter and had immediatly flied off to warn everybody. Although, since this Lakitu was known in the Mushroom Kingdom for being a smart-aleck story teller, no one had believed him and returned to partying. Little did everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom know was that leaving the Mansion behind would just lead them to a most horrific act.

You see, as days went on, the Mushroom Kingdom had started losing more sunlight, and in turn, a spooky moonlight had covered their peaceful domain. All of the inhabitants were beginning to cowar and worry about these dreadful dark nights.

Princess Peach, one of the few people at the party who didn't believe the Lakitu's story at first, had absolutely had it with the spooky nights, and decided to go to the Forever Forest and see if what the Lakitu had said was right. So she had left her Castle and had entered the devious Forever Forest, STUPIDINGLY by herself I might add. Of course, keeping true to the Mario Formula, something strange had happened, and she was never heard from since that day.

About a week passes, and the Princess still hadn't returned. Almost everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom were too scared to even leave their warm houses anymore. Of course, something had to be done before all hope was lost!

Toadsworth, a middle-aged mushroom and steward of Princess Peach, who I might add was against Peach leaving for the Forever Forest in the first place, decides to ask our hero Mario for help. So he enters the Mushroom Village Warp Pipe, and enters the Mario household, finding Mario sound asleep on his couch, accidently leaving the T.V. on, which was showing a 12 Hour Marathon of the Dirk Drain Head Show, Mario's favorite show. After a rather rude wake up call, Toadsworth tells Mario of the current situation at hand.

After hearing about Peach's sudden disappearence, Mario was a bit shocked about what had happened. Toadsworth asks the young plumber if he will be willing to rescue the Princess and find out the cause of this spooky dilema. Without hesitating Mario jumped right off his couch and had agreed to rescue the Princess and stop this spooky dilema.

Afterwards, Toadsworth hands Mario a special wristwatch that was sent to him by Professor Elven Gadd. It was called the "Halographic Rist-Viewer 4000", or the "HRV4" for short. It had the power to recieve communication from anyone around the globe. After Mario puts it on, he tips his hat and waves goodbye to Toadsworth.

From that point on, Mario was looking at the entrance to the forbidden Forever Forest. He sweats a bit and gulps, knowing this wasn't going to be like his battles with the Evil King Koopa. After taking a deep breath, Mario steps into the Forest, and his most Grand Adventure begins!

To be Continued . . . 


	3. Journey through the Forests of Forever!

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse

Journey through the Forests of Forever!!

Mario makes his way through the dreaded Forever Forest, said to be the sancutary of evil creatures that swarm the place like bees in a beehive. Why these exact creatures have kept their distance away from the entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom is a mystery indeed. Despite this, Mario wasn't scared of such monsters and has dealt with them before, so he knew that this was going to be a peace of cake.

While he walks through the eeriee land, something starts bleeping. This startles Mario and he looks left and right to find where that bleeping was coming from. Suddenly he looks at his watch to see that IT was the thinking that was bleeping. He pushes a flashing button that was located on the watch, and before his eyes, a halographic image of Toadsworth is displayed.

"...llo? ..ello? Master Mario? Can you hear me? It's me, Toadsworth!!"

Mario was a bit surprised and asked Toadsworth what he was doing on his rist watch. Toadsworth gave himself a facepalm and said,

"I thought I told you before Master Mario, this is only a halographic projector, I'm not really here! I'm communicating with you through Mushroom Castle! Now then, you remember what the mission is here, right?"

Mario remembered the mission. To rescue Princess Peach and find out how the Mushroom Kingdom is experiencing such long, frightning nights. Toadsworth chuckled a bit and said,

"Jolly good my boy! You sure remember your objectives well! Now be careful! The Forever Forest is teeming with wicked little demons, bruteful beasties, and all the like! Even the bravest of heroes will have a tricky time escavating such a large and malicious forest. Best of luck to you Master Mario! You'll need it more than anyone."

After Mario had said his farewell, he turns the watch off and continues his voyage. It is true what Toadsworth had said, that there were going to be lots of vicious enemies in the way. Dry Bones, Boos, and even a few Piranha Plants were in his way. Luckily, Mario was able to best them without any trouble. During his travels through the Forest, Mario had accidently fallen into a conviently place hole on the ground. He was falling for what seemed like hours, but he soon plops to the ground and gets a little dizzy.

After he shakes out of his trance, Mario hears a strange sound he didn't expect. It sounded like someone was crying. He looked ahead and found a cute little elf girl weeping in sorrow. She must have fallen into the same hole Mario had fallen into. Being the kind and caring person he is, Mario decides to negotiate with the little girl.

He walks up to the teary eyed girl and places his hand on her cute little head. She crying slows down a bit and she looks up. She looks at Mario with such curiousity, though she is unable to say a word. Mario had asked the girl if she was alright. All she did was nod, and continued looking at Mario. Mario offers her his hand, and she grabbed it with such care. Mario then pulls her and he jumps into the air.

The Girl was surprised as Mario had started using his famous wall jump ability up the hole and back into ground. After Mario lets out his grip, he wipes some dirt out of his noggin and sighs. The elf girl did nothing but look at Mario with such facination, despite showing very little of it. Mario then asks the girl for her name. But she was silent and placed both hands together.

Judging from her face, Mario knew that she didn't know her name. Rather odd don't you think? So Mario smiles a bit and decides to call her "Kiki". The girl looked at Mario and then replies,

". . . mmm . . mm . . . . . . . . . Ki ... ki?"

She places her hand on her mouth, then she says her name again. It leaves her face flushed a bit. But she faintly smiled at Mario and happily accepted the name. Then she hugs Mario's leg tightly, which was about as much as she could hug, and moans a bit, thinking of Mario as a father figure. Mario didn't know what else to do, so he decides to continue on, with the newly named Kiki by his side.

After reaching a certain ways, Mario and Kiki arrive at what looks to be the very same mansion that the Lakitu was talking about. Mario looks at the Mansion with facination, thinking that this might be where they will find Princess Peach, and the cause of all this darkness in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Then all of a sudden, large footsteps were heard. With each step, the ground started to shake a little. Mario clenched his fists, ready to battle while Kiki became a little frightened and held onto Mario's leg. A large reptile arm came out of a tree and stomped on the ground. Mario saw it and backed up a little. Then another giant repile arm came in and stomped the ground.

Afterwards, a hideous yet familar looking head had popped out and unleashed a mighty roar. Mario freaked out a bit and Kiki screamed in fright. Then the giant monster jumps out and lands in front of Mario and Kiki, blocking the way to the Mansion.

Mario could not believe his eyes. For the giant, hideous monster, despite it's slightly disfigured appearence, was easily identified as Mario's most persistant foe ever,

BOWSER KOOPA!!!!

He looked awfully different than before. He was three times the size he once was, his skin and shell had gotten a more tainted color, every spike and horn on him was much more sharper and longer, and his face was so scary and tainted that you could hardly tell that he really was the Bowser we know and love to hate!

"BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!! Long time no see my old adversary! Surprised to see me back in the flesh? You want your Princess back so bad? Well too bad, because she belongs to us now!! And no one shall dare get in the way of me and my Master!! Now then, IT'S TIME THAT I END YOUR GAME, HERE AND NOW!!"

His Master? What in red blazes is Koopa talking about?! He would never stoop so low as to become a puppet to some other puppetier in the works!! Anyhow, it seems Mario's got his hands full with the newly revived Bowser, and this time things aren't gonna be pretty! But will Kiki's presence only get in his way, or will she be of some use to Mario? Stay tuned, for there's more to come!

To be Continued . . . 


	4. Enter the almighty Giga Bowser!

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse

Enter the almighty Giga Bowser!!

And so, Mario fights the dreaded Bowser in his new state! As for Mario's new friend Kiki, she hides behind a bush because she is too scared to participate in the fight. Mario starts the battle off by attempting to jump on Bowser's head. But the Giant Koopa King was too clever to be attacked by such a demenor and bashes Mario with his skull. Mario gets flinged back down to the ground. Bowser laughs and says,

"You're such a puny weakling Mario, just like I remember you were!!"

Then Bowser raises his leg and prepares to stomp on Mario. But Mario woke up in the nick of time and immediatly rushes out of the way to safety. He was able to dodge the stomp, then he takes out his trusty ol' mallet and attempts to bash Bowser's skull with it. He jumps high in the air and gets ready to strike.

He immediatly rushes back down to Earth and gets a good whack at Bowser's skull. He was straight up ticked at the feeling and covered his head, roaring so loudly the entire Mario World could probably hear it. Then he looks at Mario with a sour look on his face and says,

"GRAHH!! YOU AND YOUR STUPID MALLET ALWAYS GIVE ME SUCHA SEVERE HEADACHE!! NOW YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT THIS TIME, PLUMB SCUMB!!!"

Bowser starts taking a really deep breath. Mario has a terrible feeling in his gut about this. Bowser then lets the air out and out comes a disasterous fire breath. Mario immediatly dashes away from the flames, but Bowser continues exhaling the fire. However, Mario had no where else to run, and decided to cheat his way through by jumping over the flames. It worked, and Bowser lost his breath.

This was the perfect oppertunity to strike, so Mario jumps up and attempts another try at Bowser's skull. However, before he was able to land at the right spot, Bowser was able to catch his breath and grabs Mario!! He starts crushing him in his bear hands, and Mario could do nothing but cry in agony. Then Bowser throws Mario on the ground with such force, that it knocks the poor plumber out cold.

As hard as it was, it seemed Mario had lost the battle, but I guess we didn't expect him to win. After all, he's been on a year long break from Koopa Stomping and all the like. Bowser then chuckles and says,

"Heh heh . . . . . Hah hah . . . . BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAH!!!!!! YOU REALLY THOUGHT YOU WOULD BEAT ME THIS TIME?! HAH, YOU'VE NEVER FACED ONE LIKE ME BEFORE!! NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO DO WHAT I SHOULD'VE DONE YEARS AGO!!"

Bowser was about ready to roast the injured Mario into ashes. However, before hope was lost, Kiki had gained her confidence and entered the scene. She was seen protecting Mario, looking angerly at the Giant Bowser. Bowser was a bit dumbstruck, then he yelled at Kiki.

"HEY!! YOU'RE IN THE WAY MISSY!! BACK OFF BEFORE I ROAST YOU TWO!!"

Then she starts abosrbing some sort of energy, a light energy. She clenches her fists, closes her eyes, and focuses on her energy. Bowser was even more dumbstruck and said,

"What the heck?! What is this child doing?!"

After a few more seconds, she was completely soaked in light. She then opens her eyes, and closes up her chest. Then after a few more seconds, she lets go of her chest, and a strange light beam had shot through her chest.

"WHAT THE?! OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The beam had shot right through Bowser and sent him down! It seems that Kiki is more than just a little elf girl after all! After Bowser had gone out cold, Kiki approaches Mario and places her hand on him, sending some of her energy into Mario. It appears that she is healing him with some strange power. After she finishes transplanting her energy, Mario wakes up as good as new. Kiki then hugs him afterwards, and Mario smiles a bit. Then he looks at Bowser, and is amazed to see that he was defeated.

He looks at Kiki a bit suspiciously, but thought that it was impossible that a girl like her was able to defeat such a colossal giant like Bowser. Next thing he finds is that Bowser starts to morph in a bright light. It seems that the beam that Kiki shot at Bowser was changing him into what he originally was. after the process stops, Bowser is seen back as how Mario originally saw him like. This confused Mario a bit, but he decides to keep that aside.

The purified Bowser starts to wake up a bit and rubs his eyes.

"Grrr . . . . . aww man! That was one heck of a dream! Where am I?"

Seeing as though Bowser seems peaceful enough, Mario and Kiki decide to approach Bowser. Bowser then has his eyes set on Mario.

"Huh? . . . . . What on Earth?! . . . . . . Mario, is that you?"

Mario nods in acceptance. Then Bowser looks at him for a bit then he says,

"Heh, well I'll be an Ukkiki's Uncle, it really is you! Heh, long time no see! Hmm, you gain weight lately?"

Mario felt a bit embarrassed and had a flushed look on his face. He then shakes his head and ask Bowser how he managed to come back from the dead, especially after what happened at Koopa Kastle last year. Bowser sighed for a moment and said,

"Hmph, I'm the great King Bowser, what'd you expect? If you think getting dunked into a pool of boiling lava is enough to put me out of commission, then you're brain is about as empty and dense as a Koopa shell!! Although, it did take way too long for those stupid Magikoopas of mine to whip up a 1-Up Potion for me! Damn slow-pokes!"

After Bowser had stated his reason, he then takes a gander at Mario's New Friend, Kiki.

"Um . . . . what's with the girl?" Bowser had asked in confusion.

Mario had told Bowser that he had found her trapped inside a large hole, and he rescued her, which is why she wishes to tag along with Mario.

"Hmph . . . real interesting. Um, tyke got a name er somethin'?"

"Kiki!"

Bowser was a bit stunned to see that the girl could speak, but only her name. He then thinks for a moment. Then he says,

"Kiki huh? Pheh, it's alright I guess."

Mario then asks Bowser what he was doing here and what he was up to. Bowser scratches his head and says,

"Hmm . . . let's see . . . . . I remember one of my Koopa Guards informing me that he spotted Princess Peach going inside the Forever Forest. So I felt that this would be my big break and I went to the Forever Forest to find her! However, when I got around here, I found the Princess about to enter this here mansion! Then, out of nowhere, some spooky woman came out of this black ooze and snatched her!! I was about to act, but that scary witch spotted me and flashed some weird light at me! And that's all I can remember up to this point! But why should I be yakking to you losers? I'm wastin' my fresh breath here!"

Mario starts to think, whoever this woman was, she must be the cause of the Darkness in the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he had a feeling that he and Kiki wouldn't be able to get through her by themselves, so Mario decides to attempt the impossible. Ask Bowser to help them rescue the Princess and the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario then asks Bowser if he'd help him venture into this Mansion and rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of this mysterious woman. Bowser was a bit shocked and said,

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait! You're asking, ME, the Evil King Bowser Koopa, to help YOU, my dimwitted adversary Mario, rescue the Princess?!"

Bowser is silent for a bit, then he starts to chuckle, then . . .

"BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU'RE KIDDING RIGHT?! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY AN EVIL REPTILE LIKE ME WILL EVER CONSIDER JOINING YOU ON SUCH A SILLY QUEST!! NO WAY!! NO HOW!!!"

Mario already knew that peaceful negotiations would never work on Bowser. So he comes up with an alternative, and tells Bowser about a deal.

". . . . . . Huh? . . . . . . Wait . . . . Let me get this straight! If I join you and rescue the Princess, then we shall have a one-on-one brawl to see who gets to keep the Princess?"

Bowser gives this some exceptional thinking, then he smiles and laughs.

"Now we're getting somewhere! I'm starting to like the way you think Plumb-scumb! NOW I CAN SHOW YOU ALL THE TRUE MIGHT THAT IS THE GREAT KOOPA KING, BOWSER!!!! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alright Mario, you've got yourself a deal!!"

Mario and Bowser shake hands, and Kiki jumps for joy! Then all of a sudden, Mario's HRV4 Watch starts blinking again.

"kkrr...Maste....ario...Master Mario? Come in Master Mario!"

It must be Toadsworth! Mario pushes the button and a halogram of Toadsworth is projected on the watch.

"Master Mario, it's very good to see you again! I was trying to contact you but there must have been some sort of intererence or something. But that's all water under the bridge now. Anyhoo, how is the Mission holding up?"

Mario told Toadsworth he wasn't able to find Peach, but he did find the Mansion. Also, he got himself a new comrade.

"My oh my! What an adorable little girl! What is your name, hm?"

"Kiki!" ^^

"Kiki hmm? Oh ho ho, that's a cute name! Kiki . . . . . heh heh, I'm sure we'll get along very well Ms. Kiki!"

Kiki smiled a little, knowing she could trust the old Mushroom. Mario then tells Toadsworth of his other new comrade, Bowser.

"WHAT?! Wait a minute, you've actually asked that big brute Bowser to help you?! WHY, THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!! I THOUGHT YOU FINALLY FINISHED HIM OFF LONG AGO?! HOW IS HE STILL ALIVE?!"

Bowser snorts and says,

"Well for your information Mr. Wrinkly buns, dropping me in a pool of hot lava isn't enough to wipe me out completely!!"

Toadsworth was dis-satasfyed and said,

"Grrrr . . . . seems that's something we'll have to look into! Anyways, what in Mushroom's sake are you thinking Master Mario?! Asking Bowser to help find the Princess is a major offense to the Kingdom!"

Bowser growls a bit and pouts.

"Well it's not like I really wanted to join. I mean, if it weren't for that bet, I wouldn't even be here!"

Toadsworth was shocked, and took his view on Mario.

"A bet?! Mario just what are you up to?"

Mario whispered something to Toadsworth, then he says,

"Oh, is that so Mario? Well then, Bowser may accompany you then, I suppose. Now then, good luck on your voyage, and remember to find the Princess and the cause of this mysterious darkness! Cheerio and wott nott!"

And with that, the halogram disappeared, and Bowser says,

"Well what are we waiting for?! Let's get inside already and find the Princess!!"

And with that, Mario, Kiki, and their new recruit Bowser enter the eeriee "Mansion of Illusion"!!

To be Continued . . . 


	5. Entering the Mansion of Illusion!

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse

Entering the Mansion of Illusion

Once Mario, Kiki, and their new ally Bowser enter the twisted Mansion before them, they hear a strange voice within the secluded area.

"What wretched fools dare enter the Mansion of the great Mistress Kumija?"

Bowser snorts and says,

"I am the great King Bowser of the Koopa Klan, and these are my unimportant little lackies, Mario and Kiki!!"

Mario was offended by what he said, but Kiki didn't really understand what Bowser said. Then the voice had said,

"You are trespassing in my domain, "King" Bowser! If you and your so called unimportant little lackies, Mario and Kiki value your lives, you will leave this Mansion at once!"

Bowser laughed after hearing this and roared,

"Not on your life dollface! Now hand over Princess Peach or else we will have to tear down the entire Mansion until we find her!"

The voice just giggled and said,

"It would do you no good. Even if you and your mates were to tear down my beloved Mansion, you would not be able to find your, Princess Peach."

Bowser was really angered, and yelled,

"OH YEAH?! WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT..."

"However. If you really want your Princess back so badly, then you must find me first!"

Bowser had chuckled, then laughed.

"YEAH RIGHT!! I'd like you to say that right in front of me!!"

"Very well then..."

Suddenly, a strange puddle of dark goo had risen from the Mansion floors. It then formed in the shape of a mysterious woman wearing a hood. Mario and the gang were a bit freaked out by the sudden appearence of the woman.

"Now are you satsifyed, "King" Bowser?"

Bowser was a bit freaked out along with the others and said,

"Um . . . . yeah. That'll work!"^^;

Suddenly, the woman looked at Bowser for a moment and said,

"Hmph, I know you. You're that one pest I captured and mutated after you were spying on me while I took the Mushroom Princess. How did you break out of your trance anyway?"

Mario then looks a Kiki and Kiki does the same. After a bit, Mario then steps in front of Bowser and the Woman said,

"Ah, I see it now. You were the one who defeated him in battle. Hmm . . . so, you must be that little hero this futile Kingdom rambles on about. What was your name again? Ah yes, Mario. So, you have come to rescue your Princess, am I right?"

The strange Mistress looked at Mario for a bit, then she said,

"Hmm . . . you look like you've got the grapes to rescue her, so I suppose I shall give you, your little girlfriend, and your dimwitted reptile a chance."

Bowser was enraged again and roared,

"HEY!! WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' DIMWITTED?!"

The cloaked woman then points at a huge door and zaps a strange power onto the center of 11 little crystals. Afterwards, one of the 5 small doors on the first floor turns color and opens.

"If you wish to find your Princess, you must enter my 10 Worlds of Illusions which reign within those doors. Once you enter an Illusion, you must find that Illusion's Crystal Gem, which will radiate it's power onto another Crystal on that Huge door, and open your way to another Illusion."

The Woman points to the colored door and then said,

"Your first destination will be within that door. Inside is the first illusion you will enter, The Forest of Radiance. It is the easiest of all of the illusions. But beware, for it still holds unimaginary chaos that even this futile Kingdom couldn't possibly beat."

Mario then asks the Cloaked Woman what happens when all 10 Gems are collected. The woman giggles and says,

"After you find all ten Gems, the final door will open. But what lies beyond it will remain a secret."

Bowser then says,

"So all we have to do is find 10 of these so called Crystal Gems, and then we go inside that big door over there and claim the Princess. Hmph, sounds easy enough to me. Come on Mario!"

"HOLD IT!!"

Just as Mario and the others were going into the first door, Kumija had unleashed a giant scythe that threatened to slice them if they went any further. Mario, Bowser, and Kiki were terribly frightened and grabbed each other like scared little children.

"You did not let me finish! Let this be a warning to you both! Now then, you might think this is easy, but it's more troublesome then you think! You will have to find and defeat each Gem's Guardian before you can obtain it. And if that isn't hard enough, three of my best Assassins will be on the lookout for you. If they catch you, they will do anything they can to eliminate you. I highly doubt you should succeed, but good luck anyway."

The Strange being reformed into a puddle of goo and disappeared to who knows where.

"That, was the most creepiest moment I've ever witnessed. Come on, we're wasting time standing around!"

And so, Mario, Kiki, and Bowser enter the first door and begin their quest to save Princess Peach!

To be Continued... 


	6. The Mysterious Man, Kumoro Izumaka!

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse Chapter One: The Lucious Forest of Radiance!  
Part One: The Mysterious Man, Kumoro Izumaka!! Who is he?

The door that the gang entered took them into a portal that led them to a beautiful sunny forest. Mario, Kiki and Bowser had landed rather uncomfortably on the terrain of the forest. They were all a bit dazed out after the landing.

"Uh . . . mama mia . . . . "

"uhhhhh . . . . . ." TAT

"Grr...now that's what I call hard landing! You little losers alright?" asked the slightly sympathetic Bowser.

Mario got up and looked at the wonderful scenery. He couldn't help but sigh in pleasure as he finally found sunlight after a whole week in darkness. Kiki liked the sunlight too and started to sing a little. Bowser couldn't help but say,

"How pathetic..."

Then all of a sudden, the gang heard a cry for help. They saw a strange man in a black kimono-like outfit taking a white bunny rabbit captive.

"Please sir, let me go! I'm gonna be late for a very important date! I'm begging you, please let me go!" The White Rabbit had pleaded.

The man continued to walk off with the Rabbit. Luckily our heroes hid behind the trees so they wouldn't be spotted. Bowser looks at the man and says,

"Wow, a guy in a dress walking off with a white rabbit crying in agony."

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Some people have all the luck."TAT

Mario couldn't stand seeing the Rabbit in agony any longer. So he dashed for the man, rammed him on the back like Luigi's Green Missile, and freed the white rabbit. The man got up and looked behind him to notice the mustacheoed plumber that had just rammed him.

"Hmph! So, you must be the one my Mistress had warned me about. I'm warning you Red, give me back that Rabbit, or you will be very sorry!" the man had threatened to him.

Mario did nothing but just growl, and clench his fists a bit tighter. The man was not pleased at all by his decision, and said,

"If that's the way you want it...then I have no choice."

The man snapped his fingers, and a whole bunch of familiar creatures were by his side. It was Bowser's entire Koopa Troop!! Bowser suddenly comes into the scene with Kiki and he roared...

"H-HEY!! What the heck do you think you're doing with MY minions?"

The man had chuckled a bit and said,

"Hmph, who said they were your minions? These creatures of the forest are under our control. You are nothing but prey to them."

Bowser was completely furious and said,

"YOU LITTLE TWERP, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!!"

The man then yelled,

"SIEZE THESE PATHETIC LOWLIFES!!"

The many Goombas & Koopas then came charging after the the trio and their new Rabbit friend.

"Ahh!! Help me! Don't let them get me!"

Bowser then growls and said,

"If it'll get you to shut up, we'll do it!!"

The man then disappears to let them take care of the gang. However, Mario and Bowser were talented fighters, so they took out many minions, one by one. However, even with all of the Goombas, Koopas, and Hammer Bros they took out, more just kept on spawning out. Mario and Bowser were starting to grow a little tired of all the enemies popping out.

"*pant* *pant* you can't be serious!! How on Earth did that man in a dumb dress get all my minions into this?!"

They were eventually too pooped to fight anymore and they both collapsed. Kiki was really worried and tried to wake them up, but to no avail. Then she looked around to see that they were completely surrounded. She was really scared now, but she tried to contain herself from screaming.

However, as she was, she started to glow brightly. This light scared the heck out of the Koopa Klan. But since they got too close to the gang, Kiki really got too scared for her own good and screamed. What she hadn't realized was that she accidently unleashed a mighty force of light that instantly took out every single Koopa Klan minion in the area. Once Kiki opened her eyes, she realized that every Koopa was gone!

Mario and Bowser had woken up afterwards, shocked to see that every single Minion they saw earliar had just vanished in thin-air! Bowser looked at Mario and asked,

"Um, where you the one who took out all the minions?"

Mario wasn't really too sure. Then they both looked at Kiki who noticed that Mario and Bowser had woken up. Bowser then snorts and says,

"NAH AH!! NO WAY!! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I WILL BELIEVE SOME PUNY LITTLE TWERP TOOK OUT THOSE MINIONS ALL BY HERSELF!!"

Kiki didn't really know what he meant but she hugged both Mario and Bowser either way. The li'l White Rabbit was hiding inside a tree bark and emerged asking,

"um . . . . are they all gone?"

Bowser snorted and said,

"Yeah they're all gone. You can come out now."

They White Rabbit had jumped out of the hole and approached the gang.

"Oh thank you two ever so much for saving me! For a moment there I thought I'd become rabbit food for those turtle things!"

Mario and Bowser looked at each other, then Bowser turned his head around and said,

"Oh pa-leeze! We didn't do it to save you! Those traitorous li'l Koopas had to be taught a lesson in pain!"

Mario told the rabbit to kindly ignore that, then asked him for his name, and where they were at.

"Oh, me? Well um, my name is Bobby, Bobby Rabbit. And you two are in the Forest of Radiance! Pretty cool huh?"

Bowser had a sweat drop on his head and said,

"Uhh, I'm more into dank, dark, lava filled dungeons. So Mr. Rabbit 'er whatever, what was with that pajama wearin' weirdo anyway, taking my minions and all the like?"

Bobby sighed and said,

"Oh, I'm not too sure about it myself. But from what we've seen, that man had come to our beloved forest and had poisoned it with those awful little creatures! He has already captured all of my friends, and I was about to be his next course, that is, until you three came and saved me."

Mario then asked who the man was. Bobby had said,

"That man goes by the name of Kumoro Izumaka. I don't know too much about him, but he is said to be apart of this so-called gang called the Kumija Force. He just suddenly showed up out of nowhere and had put a strange curse on our beloved Tree of Radiance. Now our forest is full of those nasty critters, and if this ha-loopa keeps up, who knows what's in store for our beautiful forest!"

The rabbit then grabbed on Mario's shirt and begged,

"Please kind people! I beg of you all! Please save our beloved forest from that mad man! Only you two are capable of such a feat!"

Mario then tipped his hat and said,

"Okkie-Dokkie!"

Bowser then shoved Mario to the side and said,

"What's in it for us?"

The Rabbit then said,

"Well, if you save our forest, we'll be glad to offer you our special monument, the Crystal Gem of Radiance!"

Bowser then said,

"A Crystal Gem you say? Hmmmmm, well then, what'er we doing just standing here? Let's get-a move on!!"

The Rabbit jumped for joy and hugged the gang.

"Oh thank you! Thank you ever so much!! You don't know how much this means to me!!"

Bowser then growled and said,

"If you wish to be kept un-burnt, get off of us right now!!"

"Oh, heheh. Sorry. Anyway, I'll be glad to take you over to the great Tree of Radiance, which is where we can get this whole problem solved."

Then the trio had left for the Great Tree of Memories!!

To be Continued... 


	7. Illusion beyond truth, Mario VS Kumoro

Super Mario in: Maiden's Dark Curse Chapter One: The Lucious Forest of Radiance!  
Part Two: Illusion beyond truth, Mario V.S. Kumoro!!

And so, the jumpy li'l bunny, Bobby Rabbit, has acompanied Mario and his friends in their search for that strange man who had ambushed the gang with an army of what looked to be Bowser's Cronies. It's also possible that the man might be in possession of the Crystal Gem they are after! As they traveled farther through the woods, Bobby was starting to become curious.

"Excuse me for being a bit rude, but I don't think I've gotten your names yet."

The gang had stopped for a moment and looked at their new friend. Bowser then said,

"Well if you must know, I'm Bowser! The King of the Mighty Koopa Klan!! I'm sure you've heard of one such as I."

Bobby had thought for a moment, then he shrugged and said,

"I'm sorry good sir, but I've never heard of someone like you before."

Bowser was speechless, then he growled and lost it. He grabbed Bobby from his shirt and was ready to clobber him.

"WHY YOU ROTTEN LITTLE PETER COTTON-TAIL!!! I'LL SHOW YOU THE MIGHT OF THE EVIL KOOPA KING BOWSER!!!!!!!!"

Poor little Bobby was crying and begging for mercy. Mario instantly jumped in the air and whacked Bowser very hard with his trusty ol' mallet. Thankfully it knocked him out a bit, and Bobby was able to free himself.

"Oh goodness, oh goodness gracious me! That Bowser guy is really scary! Thank you for saving me Mister . . . . . uh . . . . ."

"Mario." Mario had replied to Bobby.

"Oh yes! Mario. That's quite a catchy name! And um . . . . . oh! Who is the little girl that's following us?"

Kiki had smiled a little, crossed her arms and replied,

"Kiki."

"Oh! Kiki. My, what an adorable name that is!"

Bowser then wakes up after getting knocked out and scratches his head.

"Uh . . . . can we get going now? My head hurts hearing all this blather!!"

"I am sorry, but I'm afraid you will be going no further!"

The gang were shocked to hear that voice. They had looked ahead and found what looked to be that man they met ealier. Kumoro Izumaka!!

"Well well well, I had a funny feeling that our pathes would cross again. Is it fate that we would meet again in such a manner?"

Bowser then steps up and starts to growl.

"Alright, you better explain yourself Pajama boy!! Who gave you the right to toy with MY MINIONS?! If you answer quickly, I promise not to make your demise slow and painful!!"

Kumoro had only chuckled slightly and crossed his arms saying,

"Hmph, you still don't get it do you? You're quite stupid for a koopa king, you know that?"

Bowser became furious, and roared,

"STUPID?!" Grrr...I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S STUPID!!!!"

Bowser instantly jumped for Kumoro and got ready to attack.

"THEY DON'T CALL ME THE KOOPA KING FOR NOTHING!!!!"

However, just before Bowser clawed him, Kumoro had pulled his arm in a horizontal position.

"Hmph! You don't scare me Koopa King!"

"HUH?!"

Kumoro then waved his arm in a horizontal position and Bowser was instantly knocked away from him in a gust of wind that even Mario, Kiki, and Bobby could feel.

"What the heck?! What was that?"

Kumoro had paused and had said,

"The power that I possess. And now I shall use that exact same power to destroy you all."

"NOT ON MY WATCH BUSTER!!!!" Bowser had roared!

Bowser got up and went for him again, only to be attacked again by Kumoro's Power.

"Grr... damn punk!"

The Kumoro then focuses his view on Mario and called for him,

"You, the short one with the goofy looking mustache. Are you the one that the futile mortal world calls, Mario?"

Mario had said yes to the strange man. Then Kumoro had pulled a battle stance and said,

"Good, now I know whom not to led my guard down upon. You might as well forget your dear Princess and stick to un-clogging pipes Plumber, because I will not let you reach my beloved Mistress. Now prepare to be vanquished by my power!!"

Mario had pulled a battle stance too, and told Kiki and Bobby to leave Kumoro to him. And so, the two leave while pulling Bowser by the tail, and Mario engages in combat with Kumoro Izumaka.

Mario starts by taking out his mallet and rushing at Kumoro. Though Kumoro was too smart for his antic and he used the same technique he pulled on Bowser. Mario was instantly blown away and got knocked onto a tree. Mario was dazed for a bit, then opens his eyes to notice Kumoro was dashing for him, preparing for an attack.

Mario instantly got back up and ran up the tree like a ninja, followed by using a wall jump to evade Kumoro's attack. Then, Kumoro used another ability and started sucking in Mario in a gust of wind. Mario ran as fast as he could but could only go so far, and kept getting sucked in by his ability.

Mario then sprung a light bulb, in other words, he got an idea. Mario took out his mallet and jumped in the air as he was being pulled towards Kumoro. After he reached a certain length, Mario attacked Kumoro with his mallet and he was sent sky high. Though Kumoro landed safely on the ground.

"Err . . . . . . . you red pest! Now I see why my Mistress saw you as a huge threat! In that case, TAKE THIS!!"

Kumoro unleashed his ultimate attack, creating a devestating tornado that sucked Mario in. Mario was beginning to get dizzy from the firece speed of the tornado. However, he noticed that an actual Goomba got caught in the tornado to, and sprung another light bulb of an idea.

He took out his mallet again, and swam towards the Goomba like he was in a swimming pool, then he thwacked the Goomba with his mallet. He sent it as far as escaping the barrier of the tornado, and it successfully hit Kumoro, causing the tornado to collapse.

Mario got back to safe ground, seeing that the hit from the Goomba caused Kumoro to grow dizzy. Mario found this to be the perfect time to strike. He runs up to Kumoro and starts pulling multiple punches and kicks. After his last strike, Kumoro falls to the ground all beat up.

However, victory was yet to be claimed, as Kumoro got up from his beating. He was very angry at Mario and walked up to him.

"You . . . . you . . . . . . you'll pay for this!!"

However, before he pulled his strike, a giant shadowy figure was right behind him. Mario noticed it and ducked, covering his head. Kumoro was confused and looked behind him, only to be smacked real hard by the figure behind him.

It is revealed that the shadowy figure was none other than Bowser!! He then grabs the knocked out Kumoro by the collar and yells,

"You've angered this Koopa King for far too long! You better explain yourself pajama boy, or I REALLY will roast you to ashes!!"

Kumoro had finally broke out of his knocked out state and said,

"Heh heh heh heh, if this is about the Minions thing, then you better give it up before you make an even bigger fool out of yourself."

"THAT DOES IT!!"

Bowser got ready to roast him, but Kumoro pulled the old wind trick again on Bowser and sent him a few ways to where Mario was. Kiki & Bobby came out from the bushes to check on Bowser. Kumoro, who was badly injured, kept his stance and told the gang,

"Everything you see before you, is not really real. It is but an illusion, everything that exists in this world before you. Even that rabbit who is palling around with you, is but a mere figment of this world's power."

Bowser interupts Kumoro and asks,

"Wait! If this world is all an illusion, then does that mean . . ."

"Yes, even your minions here are just illusions as well, and they are all under our control! So you see? These illusions are under our control, and there is nothing that you or your petty little 'paisano' can do about it!"

Mario felt a little insulted that Kumoro had mocked his native tounge like that. Bowser then roared and said,

"EVEN SO, WE'LL BEAT YOU ALL TO A PULP AND GET THE PRINCESS BACK!!"

Bowser then rushes for Kumoro again, ignoring what had happened the past few times. However, this time Kumoro disappears in a cloud of smoke and echos in the air,

"If you want your Princess back, find me in the heart of this forest, where an even bigger force awaits you! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bobby starts jumping and said,

"OH NO!! THE HEART OF THE FOREST?! THAT'S WHERE THE GREAT TREE OF RADIANCE IS FOUND!!! Oh if that mad man did anything to that tree, who knows what will happen to our beloved forest!!"

"THEN QUIT GAWKING AND LEAD THE WAY PETER COTTONTAIL!!" Bowser roared impatiently.

And with that, Mario, Kiki, Bowser, and Bobby Rabbit had fled to find the Great Tree of Radiance and the 1st Crystal Gem they need in order to find the Princess and Mistress Kumija.

To be continued . . . 


End file.
